Are you pooped out because you are pooped IN?
Thank you so much for joining The Body Mechanic Blog. I hope you enjoy it, and enjoy this journey into health and fitness! As always, please share any post to those that could benefit from the information. Now, on to the topic of the day…
I read an article recently that talked about how constipated MOST people are in the western world. I know, I know. This is a touchy subject for most people, but I FIRMLY believe that it should be addressed, so don’t RUN from this subject, especially if you are LAX in your fitness and health regimen. Since I can no longer HOLD IT IN, I’d like to talk a little bit about digestion (or lack thereof!)
According to a stat I read, as much as 85% of us are constipated! This means that it is quite likely that you are constipated or know several people that are. Now, my personal training clients know how much I enjoy this subject. Not because I have childish humor (ok, I do have childish humor), but because I believe that how we work on the inside is far MORE important than how we look on the outside. Moreover, how we TRAIN daily and how we EAT largely determine how we function. And, now this is of STUPENDOUS importance, how we train and eat is dictated by 1) what we believe (our paradigm); and 2) how we THINK. This is why you engage in my classes and train with me, and why we have these little discussions. OK, some may call them monologues 🙂
So, how do you feel? Are you POOPED much of the time? Maybe you are POOPED OUT because you are POOPED IN. (This is another cute phrase that I am adopting!) If you find yourself lacking energy each day, you may want to examine how well you are processing your food. It astounds me that so many people go days — or even longer than a week — without moving the ol’ bowels! And this is considered “normal”! Now, imagine putting raw sewage underneath your home and leaving it there for days and days. You wouldn’t want to stay in that home very long. And you could choose to leave. But you can’t just leave your body and find another one. The only thing you can do is take good care of the one you have.
Some health care professionals believe that lack of regular bowel movement is a root cause of many health issues, from headaches to high blood pressure. Without regular bowel movement, the colon has been shown to take unnatural shapes, bloated at some points, constricted at others, so that when you do have a bowel movement it clearly indicates just how cramped, bloated, squeezed, and constricted the colon really is. It also causes the ‘draping’ effect, wherein your transverse colon hangs down like a drape into your belly. All of this can lead to a situation where you think you have belly fat causing a pooch, but actually have a distended colon in one or more places.
The truth is, you should move your bowels multiple times per day! Further, it should be formed, just as you expect your colon should look. If your situation is otherwise…well, read on!
I know that many people have to rely on drugs such as Exlax to get the job done. I’m not anti-drug, but I don’t think you should have to rely on using these drugs…uh…REGULARLY…in order to keep things moving. Most of the time, drugs just address a SYMPTOM of a larger issue. I think of what Leslie Nielsen said in one of ‘The Naked Gun’ movies, ‘…It’s like taking Draino. Sure, it will clean you out alright. But it will leave you feeling hollow inside.’
You guys know that you don’t have to take Exlax or Draino. The best way to keep all systems go in your body is with the regular deep breathing exercises we do in our classes (in home and in studio). But you should really practice every single day. With every deep breath, you should use your imagination to ‘feel’ and ‘see’ your internal organs as they are vigorously massaged. The first time I heard of this concept was in 1987 in my kung fu class. I was only 21, and had no idea what my instructor was talking about. How could anyone massage their internal organs simply by breathing?
If this concept is foreign to you, just keep coming to DPT class, engaging in your Daily Therapeutic Training videos, and training privately with me. You will understand that REAL exercise involves far more than just your external muscles. The deep breathing, imagination, and focus are all part of improving your health on the INSIDE as well as the outside. There are many special deep breathing exercises which most of you have yet to even encounter. But rest assured, you are…uh…MOVING in the right direction to great overall health.
Have a wonderful day, and an even better tomorrow!
PMS! PMS! PMS!
There simply is no medicine better than Positive Mental State! If you insist upon being happy, then you will give your immune system a big boost! Make today a Great Day!
To Your Health!
Jeff Wooten, “The Body Mechanic” www.YourBodyMechanic.com
#fitnessrecovery #healthampfitness #healthandfitness #thebodymechanic